February 20, 2011

Dear Families,
We are about to embark on an exciting adventure in our classroom. Together we are going to create Interactive Multimedia Projects where, with the help of technology, we will travel around the country and the world with the character, Flat Stanley, in order to learn about different people, places and cultures.

We will be exploring the essential question: How are we the same as people in other parts of the world and how are we different?” We will be learning many new skills during this project. In addition to meeting our social studies and English Language Arts standards we will be learning to use technology as a tool to meet these standards.

We will begin by visiting “The Flat Stanley Project” website to find and make connections with other classrooms. We will contact other classrooms via email (using my teacher account) or “snail” mail and send Flat Stanley to visit these places. Students also have the option of sending Flat Stanley to family members and/or friends in different parts of the country or the world. The hope is that Flat Stanley will be returned from these places with a photo (or perhaps even a video) of his visit.

Students will work in small groups doing research on a particular place using Google, Google Earth and other websites. They will then create a finished research project which could range from a written report to a nonlinear PowerPoint slideshow.

If you have friends or family living in other places who would be willing to receive Flat Stanley letters, please let me know. Although we will be doing this project at school you can help your child at home by talking about and showing him/her some of the places Stanley might be visiting.

Thank you for your support and cooperation with this project. Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Amy Abramovich



Please tear off, sign and return this permission slip by March 4, 2011.

My child and I have reviewed this letter and we understand that we will be using the internet according to the District Acceptable Use Policy.

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